3 Humbuckers and a 6-way 2-pole Rotary Switch... HELP!

[momobanks]

Hey Everyone,

I am just completing my third hand-built custom guitar. It's turning out to be a beauty. Will post images later. But I'm stressing about the wiring scheme. Without further ado, here's my question:

I have 3 humbuckers in there and I would like to include a 6-way rotary switch with the following options (in no particular order)... I don't need any assistance with splits and parallels and phasing, etc. Just how to wire the pickups in the combinations below... straight. if someone out there could help me wire this thing, I would be ever so grateful...

1) Neck
2) Neck + Middle
3) Middle
4) Middle + Bridge
5) Bridge
6) All three

Drawings are most helpful as I am a visual learner. Thanks in advance!

 

[hermetico]

Re: 3 Humbuckers and a 6-way 2-pole Rotary Switch... HELP!

Hey Everyone,

I am just completing my third hand-built custom guitar. It's turning out to be a beauty. Will post images later. But I'm stressing about the wiring scheme. Without further ado, here's my question:

I have 3 humbuckers in there and I would like to include a 6-way rotary switch with the following options (in no particular order)... I don't need any assistance with splits and parallels and phasing, etc. Just how to wire the pickups in the combinations below... straight. if someone out there could help me wire this thing, I would be ever so grateful...

1) Neck
2) Neck + Middle
3) Middle
4) Middle + Bridge
5) Bridge
6) All three

Drawings are most helpful as I am a visual learner. Thanks in advance!

I'm sorry but, YOU CANNOT do that with a 2 pole switch, since one pole is being used for middle pickup and the other is being shared by neck and bridge pickups.
What you can do, instead all three is Neck+Bridge, what is a way usefuller combination than the three pickups together in parallel!!!

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: 3 Humbuckers and a 6-way 2-pole Rotary Switch... HELP!

I'm thinking it could be done if one knob was a push-pull with a "this pickup will always be on when the knob is up" setup.

 

[DoronEsh]

Re: 3 Humbuckers and a 6-way 2-pole Rotary Switch... HELP!

It can be done with StewMac's free-way switch. I did it with my SG-3. Is your guitar 2-knob (Master Volume and Tone) or 4-knob?

 

[DoronEsh]

Re: 3 Humbuckers and a 6-way 2-pole Rotary Switch... HELP!

Anyway, here are the 2 schemes. one for 2V2T, the other for a 1V1T guitar. I used the latter, so it works. The first came with the FreeWay Switch.


Enjoy
D

 

[DoronEsh]

Re: 3 Humbuckers and a 6-way 2-pole Rotary Switch... HELP!

And this is the link to StewMac's site for the FreeWay Switch

 

[momobanks]

Re: 3 Humbuckers and a 6-way 2-pole Rotary Switch... HELP!

Thanks Everyone!

I really appreciate the advice. Since I already have the 6-way 2-pole rotary, I will stick with that. And yes, it's 1 V 1 T set-up. So the diagram really helps (only that it is the free way and not the 6W2P-rotary. The larger question that I am asking, I guess, is about the logic of the 6-way. Is it true that each position on the rotary switch will send to the "out" the feed that it is receiving from both poles? I have done some SERIOUS searching for 6-way explanations (in the abstract) and I can't find anything (at least nothing that isn't in jargon-laden electric-ese, that i don't really understand), only schematics for specific applications which don't really apply to my scenario.

Hermetico, do you think you could attach an image with the Neck + Bridge setup that you were alluding to?

Thanks again, everyone. I'll let you all know how it turns out.

 

[momobanks]

Re: 3 Humbuckers and a 6-way 2-pole Rotary Switch... HELP!

This is what I'm thinking for:
1) B
2) B+M
3) M
4) M+N
5) N
6) N+B

Do you think this will work?

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: 3 Humbuckers and a 6-way 2-pole Rotary Switch... HELP!

No. In your diagram, you've got a shunt wire going from bridge lug #2 to neck lug #6. Remove that wire and add a shunt from bridge #1 to the other #6 lug right next to it instead.

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: 3 Humbuckers and a 6-way 2-pole Rotary Switch... HELP!

As well, by jumping the 2 poles together, you're linking them. That type of switch has the ability to be wired with 2 control schemes - one for each pole - and you can select which pole goes to the output with a push/pull.

It's also important to remember that what we generally consider the "output" of a switch is the Common, meaning you don't have to go to the pots from that point. You can, for example, wire a pickup to that point and its signal will feed to all 6 positions, turning those 6 tabs into outputs. This could be used to insert that pickup into any combo of the other 2, whether split, or phased, or parallel.

 

[hermetico]

Re: 3 Humbuckers and a 6-way 2-pole Rotary Switch... HELP!

This is what I'm thinking for:
1) B
2) B+M
3) M
4) M+N
5) N
6) N+B

Do you think this will work?
View attachment 39249

Yup, the diagram above is the right one, if we don't considere wire colors.

All depends on what brand and kind of pickups do you have.
Single braided conductor?
2 wires + bare wire?
4 wires + bare wire?

But the idea is just that one and works with any kind of pickup, even singles.